


A Marshmallow World

by cosmic_llin



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Snow Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 01:33:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16801036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmic_llin/pseuds/cosmic_llin
Summary: Hecate and Ada enjoy a snowy day.





	A Marshmallow World

Hecate awoke, curled underneath layers of soft, heavy blankets, to Ada nudging her in the ribs.

‘Hecate! Wake up! Hecate!’

‘Ada… what’s the matter? Is everything all right?’

‘Hecate, it’s snowing!’

Hecate half-opened her eyes. The light in the room was unnaturally bright considering how early it must still be. Ada was already out of bed and hurrying towards the window to look out.

‘Oh,’ she breathed, pushing back the curtain. ‘Oh, isn’t it beautiful?’

‘It’ll be just as beautiful after another hour’s sleep,’ Hecate said, and turned over.

‘No, it won’t,’ said Ada. ‘It’s perfect now, just like this. It’s the only first snowfall we’ll get this winter and I intend to enjoy every second of it. You stay there if you like.’

Hecate groaned, but she got out of bed, wrapping herself in her robe. Even this early in the morning, Ada’s enthusiasm was contagious.

As she walked to join Ada at the window, she cast a warming spell to take the chill from the air and the floorboards. Once upon a time, she would have scorned such a spell as an unnecessary waste, but the years – or perhaps Ada – had softened her, and this morning it was much too cold to do without. As the spell took effect, she smiled and wrapped her arms around herself.

The snow really was beautiful.

‘I think I’ll declare today a holiday,’ said Ada. ‘The girls have been cooped up inside so much with the bad weather lately. It’ll do them good to get out in the fresh air.’

Hecate thought of protesting – their educations! – but there was no swaying Ada in this sort of mood, and if she was entirely honest with herself, she wouldn’t mind a day off teaching. It had been a long term and she was tired.

‘Very well,’ she said, ‘I’ll notify the rest of the staff.’

‘In a minute,’ said Ada, wrapping an arm around Hecate’s waist. ‘Let’s just watch the snow for a bit?’

It was coming down in thick, heavy flakes, carpeting the grounds with white. Hecate slipped her own arm around Ada and watched.

* * *

Breakfast was hot porridge, perfect in this cold weather. Hecate usually had it plain, or with just a dash of honey, but today seemed like a day for jam. She spooned in a generous dollop and stirred it in, turning the porridge pink.

‘ _Indoor_ voices,’ she said sharply, as she walked past a gaggle of shrieking second-years on her way to the top table.

They quietened immediately. A snow day was all very well but it didn’t mean that _all_ discipline had to collapse.

The girls ate quickly and got into their outdoor clothes, impatient to be playing in the snow, but Hecate made them all wait until she’d finished her own breakfast, then inspected them carefully to ensure that they were properly dressed.

‘Emily Cronesworth, I don’t care _how_ long you spent doing your hair, you’re not going outside without a hat,’ she said. ‘Put one on at once.’

‘Yes, Miss Hardbroom,’ Emily said meekly.

Once the inspection was complete, Dimity led all of the girls outside, chatting about teams for a snowball fight.

‘I suppose we’d better wrap up too, if we want to go outside,’ said Ada, leading the way to the staff cloakroom.

These days, Hecate had plenty of winter garments, most of them gifts from Ada. Left to her own devices Hecate would have one sturdy cloak with a hood, but Ada had made it plain that she considered that insufficient.

‘Ah, you’re only missing one thing!’ said Ada, when they had both piled on their layers.

She came over and wrapped a dark purple scarf, shot through with silver, around Hecate’s neck.

‘There,’ she said, arranging it carefully. ‘Now you’ll be cosy.’

She leaned forward – after checking quickly that no pupils were nearby – and kissed Hecate briefly but ardently.

‘Ada!’ Hecate said, blushing.

Ada shrugged, a twinkle in her eye. ‘It’s a snow day,’ she said.

The air outside was stinging cold, so cold that it almost hurt to breathe, but the fleece-lined boots and the floor-length wool cloak and the scarf and the hat and the cashmere gloves kept Hecate warm. She and Ada walked down to the courtyard, their feet making soft crunching sounds with each step. The snow had stopped falling for now, but everything was still covered in a thick layer of it, shimmering like sugar in the thin sunlight.

‘Ah, there’s Mrs Tapioca!’ Ada said, and indeed there she was, pushing a trolley on which sat a vat of something that filled the air with sweet-smelling steam.

‘Hot chocolate, girls!’ Ada called, and an abrupt détente was called in the snowball fight as the various factions joined the queue for a cup.

Ada retrieved one for herself and one for Hecate. The cup was hot in Hecate’s hands, and there were tiny marshmallows floating in it. Sheer frivolity.

‘Cheers!’ said Ada, raising her hot chocolate.

‘Cheers,’ said Hecate, with a smile.

The marshmallows were delicious.

Hecate’s childhood had been on the austere side, and it had taken a while for her to grow accustomed to Ada’s expectations of comfort. It wasn’t as though she’d ever been dangerously or neglectfully cold, but on winter nights when the drafts came in, she’d have put on an extra shawl, not gleefully built up the fire and basked in its glow the way Ada did.

There was a version of her long in the past who would have considered all of this a failure, who would have called it weakness of character to seek warmth and softness, to do more than the bare minimum required for safety and good health.

Here in the snow, wrapped up cosily with the taste of chocolate on her lips, she reflected that she wouldn’t give up Ada’s way for the world, now.

‘You look a million miles away,’ said Ada, beside her. ‘What are you thinking?’

Hecate smiled. ‘Oh… nothing,’ she said. ‘Just… enjoying the snow.’


End file.
